Method and means for replacing railroad rails



Jan. 2, 1934.

P. COLLET El AL METHOD AND MEANS FOR REPLACING RAILROAD RAILS Filed July15, 1932 6' Sheets-Sheet '1 w vm ia nwwfin fizuenfor-s. Pierre C'qZZefRene .Lozseau Jan- 2, 1934- P. COLLET ET AL.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR REPLACING RAILROAD RAILS Filed July 15, 1932 Renee.Loz'seau 216 (Mama Ht:

Jan. 2, 1934. P. COLLET ET AL METHOD AND MEANS FOR REPLACING RAILROADRAILS Filed July 15, 1932 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 iiwenz ars: Her/e C'iollaii.b Rene .Loc'seau Jan. 2, 1934.

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Jan. 2, 1934.

P. COLLET ET AL 1,941,930

METHOD AND MEANS FOR REPLACING RAILROAD RAILS Filed July 15, 1932 6Sheets-Sheet 6 Pierre C'oZZet ReneLoiseaw Patented Jan. 2, 1934 lliETHODAND MEANS FOR REPLACING RAILROAD RAILS Pierre Collet and Rene Loiseau,Paris, France; said Collet assignor to Les File BAlbert Gollet, Faris,France, a company of France Application July 15, 1932, Serial No.622,792, and in France July 18, 1931 3 Claims.

In the maintenance of the road beds of railways, it is often necessaryto replace the rails, either because they are worn or because theincrease in trafiic requires a larger cross-section, or for otherreasons. Before our invention the replacement has been effected asfollows: The new rails are stacked, and after removal of the old railsthe new rails are laid in place, the positioning being performed eitherby hand or by means of handling devices running over the still existingportions of the old track. When the cross-section of the rail is beingchanged, the rail seats in the ties are readzed by hand or by means of amechanical device.

Such operation is lengthy and toilsome and requires considerable skilledlabor, chiefly for readzing the seats.

The method according to our invention removes these drawbacks andprovides a very ma- 2 terial economy in labor, at the same timerequiring no skilled workman.

It consists primarily in using the new rails required for replacement,for first laying a service track parallel to the track which is to bereplaced. This service track serves for performing all the operationsrequired in the changing of rails: to wit the removal of the old rails,the readzing of the ties, the boring of holes in the ties, theimpregnation of the seats, and the handling of the material in the yard,after which the service rails are slipped in place of the removed railsand over the old ties so as to form the new track.

In the form of our invention, which is preferred we use traveling jacksextending over the service track for transporting the rails which havebeen removed, on to low flat cars running on the old track, the fiatcars being then caused to move on while the jacks which are left inplace enable the removal of a further length of the old track rails thusuncovered, thus making the replacement a continuous operation.

Our invention also has for its object the production of new apparatusfor carrying out our novel method.

Our invention will be more readily understood from the followingdescription given by way of example and corresponding to the appendeddrawings.

Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 1a, 2a., 3a and 4a show diagrammatically both inside and in plan views the different phases in the execution of ourmethod.

Fig. 5 is an end View of a fiat car and a travelling jack used for thereplacement operation.

5 Fig. 6 is an end view of a car adapted to run both on the servicetrack and-on the old track.

the old rails.

Fig. 7 is a side view of the tie brushing device.

Figs. 8 and 9 are similar views of the tie readzing device and amodification thereof.

Fig. 10 shows in a similar manner the tie boring device.

Figs. 11 and 12 are side and end views of the tie impregnating device.

Figs. 13 and 14 are side and end views of an auxiliary system aiding inhandling the rails.

We will first describe in detail with reference to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4and la, 2a, 3a and 4a the succession of operations according to onemanner of executing our invention.

Fig. 1 shows a train such as may be used for replacing the rails over acertain track length. 9 This train comprises a work car 1, a certainnumber of low fiat cars 2, 3, two in the example shown, each providedeach with three trucks and carrying the new rails intended forreplacement, empty cars 4, and cars 5 similar to cars 4-and carrying thematerial required for replacement and operation.

Fig. 2 shows the rails unloaded from their fiat cars and disposed oneither side of the old track 7 so as to form a service track 8. To thisend the new rails are alined and connected together so as to form twocontinuous lines running parallel with the old rails and suitably spacedapart, say about 2.30 meters. In the case of the usual track the gaugeis 1,435 meters.

Fig. 3 illustrates the removal of the rails of the old track '7 betweenthe rails of the service track 8. After dividing the train, the work car1 and the fiat cars 2, 3 advance leaving behind them the cars 4 and 5 ona part of the old track alongside of which no service track has beenlaid.

In the part of the track located between the flat cars 2, 3 and the cars4, 5, the rails to be replaced are freed from their securing means.Travelling jacks 9 are then set on the service track for raising therails and these jacks carrying the removed rails are carried along theservice rails over the flat cars 2, 3 on which they deposit the rails,so that the flat cars are loaded with The empty cars 4 (Fig. 4) are thenbrought to the front of the removed part of the old track 7.

To this end, the cars are provided with means for running on both theold track and on the service track. Between the empty cars 4 and thecars 5 out of which we remove the desired material, may be arranged aminiature yard with devices adapted to run over the service track. Thesedevices comprise for instance a tie brushing device ll, a device 12 forreadzing the ties, a device 13 for boring them and a device 14 forspraying a preservative on these ties, it being assumed in the citedcase that the old rails are to be replaced by new rails having adifferent cross-section and that it is necessary to readze the ties.

It will be noticed that after the travelling jacks have unloaded theirused rails on the fiat cars 2 and 3, they are in a suitable position forthe further removal of the old track, after the flat cars have beenadvanced. The operation thus may be a continuous one.

Once these different operations are at an end, the rail securingmaterial such as coach screws, spikes, chairs, saddles and the likecontained in the cars 5 are distributed along the service track 8. It isthen sufiicient to slip the service rails 8 on the ties in the placewhich was previously occupied by the removed rails and to secure them inthe place prepared for them.

We will now describe with more detail the different apparatuses whichmay be used to advantage for executing our invention.

Fig. 5 shows in front view a three-truck flat car for transporting thenew and the old rails, together with one of the travelling jacks servingfor the removal of these rails from the old track on to the flat cars.The latter are comparatively low cars of the ordinary type comprisingpairs of wheels 16 interconnected through rigid bars with a gauge orspacing such that they can run over the old track 7. The travellingjacks each comprise a rigid bar 19 resting on pairs of wheels 21, thegauge or spacing of which is such that they can run over the servicetrack 3. Jacks 22 controlled through the hand wheels 23 permit adjustingthe bar 19 into horizontal position when the rails 8 of the servicetrack are not at the same height, for instance at curves where one ofthe rails is elevated above the other. The hoisting device 24 may runalong the bar 19. The handwheel 25 of this device controls the cable 26and the pincers 27 whereby it is possible to lower a rail such as 28 onto the flat car.

Fig. 6 shows one of the cars (such as those designated as 4 and 5 onFigs. 1 to 4) which may run both on the old track and on the servicetrack. These cars comprise a box such as 29, and their wheel pairs 31have a gauge or spacing corresponding to normal gauge and are connectedthrough rigid bars 32 both with each other and with pairs of wheels 33,the spacing of which corresponds to the gauge of the service track. Thepairs of wheels 33 are connected with the bar 32 through the jacks 34actuated by the handwheels 35. These jacks when required, bodily raisethe normal wheels 31, together with the bar 32.

Fig. '7 shows the apparatus for brushing the ties after removal of theold track. This brushing device is carried by the pairs of wheels orrollers 36 spaced in accordance to the gauge of the service track 8. Itcomprises a mechanical, electrical or other pneumatic suitable motor 37which drives, through a suitable transmission, very hard rotary brushes33 which brush the part of the tie 39 which is to be readzed, in thosecases Where the seat of the tie is to be reformed in accordance with arail cross-section differing from the original rail cross-section.

Figs. 8 and 9 show two diiferent forms of readzing devices.

The apparatus of Fig. 8 is mounted on pairs of wheels or rollers 41running over the service track and connected through the bar 42 carryingthe two usual adzing tools 43, 43 controlled mechanically, pneumaticallyor electrically. The apparatus is capable of two adjustments. On onehand the tools are mounted on a common carriage 44 which may be moved asa whole along the bar 42 under the action of the handwheel 45. On theother hand the micrometric screw 46 controlled by the handwheel 47allows the spacing between the two tools to be varied, an action whichis necessary in view of the curves where the gauge is increased.

In the modification of Fig. 9 the pairs of wheels 41 are secured to thetransverse bar 42 through the agency of jacks 48 which allow thehorizontal position of the bar 42 to be restored. The screw 49,cooperating with the nut 51 carried by the connecting rod 52, providesmeans for the simultaneous displacement of the adzing tools 43-43.

The boring device shown in Fig. 10 comprises mechanical, pneumatic orelectric boring tools 55 connected together through a cross-bar 56provided with pairs of wheels 57 running over the service track 8.

Lastly Figs. 11 and 12 show a device which may be used for impregnatingthe new seats and bored holes with a preservative. This device comprisespairs of wheels 58 adapted to run over the service track and held at thedesired spacing or gauge by means or" a rigid frame 59 carrying thepreservative containers 61. The frame 59 carries a brush 62 adapted toremove wood shavings and the like from the part of the sleeper which isto be treated with the preservative. This brush is secured to the frontof the device, assuming motion in the direction of the arrow. On theother hand a spraying nozzle 63 is in communication with the reservoir61 and the distance between the brush 61 and the nozzle 63 is equal tothe spacing between two ties 39.

Of course these apparatuses have been described only by way of exampleand we may execute the method according to our invention through theagency of any other automatic or nonautomatic devices.

The arrangement shown in Figs. 13 to 14 provides considerable facilitiesfor sliding or moving the rails, this rail sliding or moving operationgenerally being rather toilsome. The arrangement illustrated comprisesan elongated support 65 to the ends of which are secured, through theagency of nuts, two roller bearings 66 carrying a roller 67. Several ofthese supports are disposed on the ground at suitable points. The railresting on these supports is very easy to handle.

What we claim is:

1. A method for replacing railroad rails com prising laying the newrails to form service tracks, carrying rail removing and track preparingdevices parallel to the track under replacement, removing the old railsfrom the track under replacement with the rail removing device,preparing the said track for the new rails and shifting the new rails inplace on the said track with the track preparing device.

2. A method for replacing railroad rails com prising laying the newrails to form service tracks, carrying rail removing and track preparingdevices parallel to the track under replacement, removing the old railsfrom the track under replacement through the agency of the rail removingdevice, laying them on cars running over the latter track ahead of thepoint of replacement through the agency of the same device, advancingthe latter device for continuation of the removal of the old rails, andshifting the new rails in place on the track under replacement.

3. A device for replacing railroad rails including travelling jackswhich comprise pairs of wheels adapted to run over a service track therails of which are on the outside of and parallel to the main trackunder replacement, jacks supported by these rails, a rigid bar carriedby these jacks at an adjustable height over a flat car running on themain track, and rail holding and raising means adapted to run along saidbar; a wheeled frame adapted to run over the main track and comprisingan outer pair of wheels adapted to run over the wider service track, andmeans for modifying the vertical position of these outer wheels withreference to the frame; brushing means adapted to run over the servicetrack for brushing the ties of the main track, readzing means adapted torun on the service track and comprising two readzing tools adapted tomove together transversely withreference to the track, and means foradjusting the spacing of said tools; a boring device adapted to run overthe service track for boring holes in the ties and a preservativeapplying device adapted to run over the service track and comprising acontainer for a preservative solution, nozzles for spraying saidsolution on to the sleeper and brushes at the front of the nozzles forbrushing the parts of the ties which are to be impregnated.

. PIERRE CQLLET.

RENE LOISEAU.

